Homeless people in Drenthe receive an urgent appeal not to sleep outside in the coming nights. GGD Drenthe is starting a winter scheme due to the expected freezing cold and will actively try to get people off the streets from tomorrow.
Temperatures will drop considerably in the coming days, to around -5 degrees. The wind will blow from the northeast in the coming days and that can cause wind chill temperatures of between -8 and -10 at night.
The GGD sets the winter regulation when the perceived temperature drops below -5 degrees. People without shelter can then use shelters for the homeless without paying.
The winter arrangement also applies to people who are normally not entitled to shelter, such as migrant workers or people who live in a house that is disconnected from energy.
“It is a group that is generally difficult to reach, so we call on help from, for example, the police to track people down,” says Bart Raaijmakers of the GGD.
“We cannot force people, but we do urge them to go to a shelter for the homeless, because it is simply too cold to sleep outside.”
Homeless people can go to the Salvation Army and Wender shelters in Assen and Emmen. The winter arrangement comes into effect on January 6 and will remain in force for a few days, according to the GGD.